Welcome Confused and Angry. I remember when I first realized the Jehovah's Witnesses did not have "the truth". It was very shocking. I was angry too. There was no one that I could talk to at that time. That was before the internet. Now there is so much information available. (pace yourself as it can be overwhelming at first) Also this forum is a wonderful place to meet others that have or are in the process of leaving this organization. I no longer feel alone as an ex-jw. Each person's journey out is different. Decide for yourself what is best for you.
HappyGal
JoinedPosts by HappyGal
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42
New here..help greatly appreciated
by Confusedandangry inhi everyone i don't even know where to begin.
i recently saw leah remini's series on scientology thanks to my husband (semi-active jw) and i felt like my eyes were being opened for the 1st time in my adult life.
i felt shaken almost sick to my stomach with each episode i watched.
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Internally rolling my eyes.. Get this
by raven ina bit of an update, last weekend was my great grandmothers funeral, now, she was never a jw, and never was going to be, no matter how hard my mother, and grandmother tried to preach to her, she was the type of person that would kindly accept a wt or a book, but she wouldn't bother reading them.. anyways, she was a great wonderful and inspiring woman, the funeral was extremely sad, she had been a school teacher for over 35 years and a member of various clubs, so there were a lot of folks besides family that attended.. well, anyways i was there and so was my jw mother, stepfather, and grandmother, we were cordial, didn't talk about anything jw related because, it was great grandmothers funeral, not really a time to discuss how i am an evil sinner, or how i've escaped the org by avoiding df'ing, right?
wrong, as i'm sitting waiting for the service to begin, a lady shows up, now- i have known this woman for a long time, apparently she baby sat me as a small child, (like i remember?
) so she isn't someone i was ever close with, but knew of her or when she was around would say hi to and make small talk.. to give you a tid-bit on her personality though, she is one of those crazy jw's.. she claims to have been possessed by a demon, very very wacky on the prophesies, or gb talks, etc.
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HappyGal
This encounter would have been difficult on an ordinary day but even more so at the funeral of your much-loved great grandmother. I'm sorry you had this bad experience.
I'm very sorry for the loss of your great grandmother.
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What did you regrettably not do because you were a Jehovah's Witness ?
by minimus injehovah's witnesses cannot do a lot of things.
i remember pioneers having to quit their jobs because they could not work in a convenience store and sell cigarettes.
i know of a young man who was offered a scholarship to any college or university if he wanted to go to because of his football abilities.
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HappyGal
The high school counselor called me into her office to talk about college and applying for scholarships. Like a good JW, I told her I wasn't going to college. I regret not going to college right after high school. I started college 11 years after high school and then it took twice as long to get my degree since I could only go part-time while working full-time.
I also missed out on extra-curriculum activities and non-JW friends.
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This site should be called Anti-Jehovahs-Witnesses Cry-babies
by the-Question inso, you left because of a bad example(s).. why all the whining?
nothing better to do with your time?.
you at least know far more about the bible than any church-goer?.
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HappyGal
thank you Simon
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So what caused you to have doubts in the first place?
by nicolaou ini had no doubts at all about the 'truth' untill a friend of mine in the cong' began falling away.
in trying to help him i had to ask questions and do research and that of course cracked the doors of my mind open for the first time in over thirty years.. years ago, when jwd allowed members to have signatures, i used the following quote from voltaire as mine.
i still love it.. doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous..
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HappyGal
It had been a few years since I'd done my fade, still believing I left the "truth" and Armageddon was coming any day now. Late one night I turned the TV on and there was a 30-minute show put on by another religion. The person was discussing topics and scriptures with a JW. Think of it as a Theocratic Ministry Show in reverse. The person was making such a logical argument that for the first time I questioned whether "the truth" was really the truth. Fast forward a few years to the internet and I was fully awake.
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What I miss about going out in service.
by compound complex inwell, very little, to be honest.
the structure and commitment of the ministry provided discipline necessary to my life.
therefore, i did it, as required, and felt some sense of fulfillment at the bible study stage.. i do like talking to people.
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HappyGal
Looking back, all I see is a monumental waste of time !
I don't miss much. The coffee breaks were nice. I wish I had that time back!
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I am a Living Time Machine
by TerryWalstrom inwhich world is this?_________________when the doctor pulled my screaming body out of mom all those 7 decades ago, i landed in a post-wwii world.it was--compared to today's world--an alien planet.. the world i live in today has nothing in common with the world in which i grew up.. there were no cell phones back then--there were black telephones with a dial-tone and an operator who placed your call.
everywhere you found telephone booths!
a call was a nickle.where did all those telephone booths go?i dunno.where did my whole world go?i dunno.. tv sets were huge boxes with tubes and small screens.
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HappyGal
What a fun post! I'm in the next time machine for those in their 60's. I remember alot of what you mentioned.
That time machine would have an interesting ride looking just at the things we learned and did as a JW over the years. -
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Wife is Awake
by freemindfade infollowing the news of stuckinarut2, over the past few months my wife has completely mentally woken up.
i've been meaning to post but haven't had the time.
i saw stuckins post and i figured i'd add my news too.
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HappyGal
So happy for you both!
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baptised nearly 51 years
by Phoebe inbeen reading this site for awhile now.
i have had a long and often tragic life as a jw.
my story is so long because i'm pretty old :) i feel sad i've been locked in fear and guilt for my entire life.
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HappyGal
Phoebe, thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry for all the hardships you had to go through and the lack of support you received from your family or the JWs. It is very sad indeed.
To Life is Short - Your comment "if I dropped dead in the K.H no one would notice" really resonated with me.
I remember the last few months I was going to the meetings. I came to the realization that the only time people would call me was to get a ride to the meeting. I was no more than their free taxi!
I was part of a congregation and yet felt very alone. I was only good for what I could do to them.
No more! Life is much happier now.
Phoebe - Wishing you all the best now. Decide what you'd like to do to make YOU happy!
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All About The Words We Used
by dubstepped inin the time since i've left the borg behind i've had a few things hit me as to how words were used.
i'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:.
watchtower - my whole life i saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when i left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison".
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HappyGal
AWAKE!
For a JW---- Awake is a magazine to be read and distributed.
For a former JW---- Awake is someone who knows about TTATT.